March in Tehran Protesting the 'Incompetence' of Saudi Arabia

Simultaneously with the call from the Student Basij for a gathering in front of the Saudi Embassy in Tehran, some participants in the Friday prayer on the 3rd of Mehr also marched in protest against the 'incompetence' of the Saudi government in managing the Hajj. Meanwhile, the Iranian Students' News Agency, ISNA, reported that 'security and law enforcement agencies' have increased protective barriers around the embassy in response to 'calls on social media' for a gathering. Participants in the post-Friday prayer march in Tehran issued a statement demanding the investigation of the Mina incident by 'domestic and international authorities.' The authors of this statement also condemned Saudi Arabia's military intervention in Yemen and what they described as Saudi support for ISIS in Iraq and Syria. On the other hand, the Student Basij of Allameh Tabatabai University issued a statement calling for a protest gathering in front of the Saudi Embassy on Sunday, the 5th of Mehr. Iranian Ministry of Interior officials have not yet responded to this statement. In Farvardin, following reports of the 'assault' by Jeddah airport officials on two Iranian teenagers, Basij forces had gathered in front of the Saudi Embassy without permission from the Ministry of Interior. According to officials from Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, 131 Iranian deaths and 85 injuries from the 'Rami Jamarat' incident in Mina on Thursday, the 2nd of Mehr, have been identified, and 365 Iranian pilgrims have yet to return to their accommodations after this incident. On Friday, several principlist clerics in Iran, including Mohammad Yazdi, Chairman of the Assembly of Experts, and several sources of emulation, including Nasser Makarem Shirazi, Abdollah Javadi Amoli, and Hossein Nouri Hamedani, accused the Saudi government of 'incompetence' and called for the Hajj to be organized by organizations like the Organization of Islamic Cooperation. Meanwhile, Friday prayer leaders in other cities also strongly attacked the Saudi government. For instance, Mohammad Imami Kashani, the Friday prayer leader of Tehran, urged Islamic countries to refer to the 'International Court' and the 'Organization of Islamic Cooperation' to pursue this incident. Ahmad Alamolhoda, the Friday prayer leader of Mashhad, stated that 'the incompetence of the evil and wicked Al Saud is calculated and deliberate.' According to Fars News Agency, he emphasized that, according to him, 'global arrogance' aimed to 'overthrow the essence of Hajj, marking the impure rule of Al Saud.' The Friday prayer leader of Mashhad also claimed that Iranian pilgrims were 'deliberately killed and the Saudis did not allow rescue forces to save the pilgrims.' These statements come as Saeed Ohadi, head of Iran's Hajj and Pilgrimage Organization, stated that until 5 PM on Thursday, there was a possibility for Iranian doctors to be present at the incident site. The Islamic Republic government, in a statement emphasizing three days of national mourning, has held Saudi Arabia responsible for the security and protection of pilgrims' lives. On the other hand, Ali Shamkhani, Secretary of the Supreme National Security Council of Iran, also attributed the Mina incident to the mismanagement and what he described as a 'shift in Saudi security priorities.' According to the state-run news agency IRNA, Mr. Shamkhani accused the Saudi government of deploying its 'expert' forces for military intervention in Yemen, which has resulted in a 'quantitative and qualitative reduction' of law enforcement forces assigned to ensure the security of the Hajj. Several officials of the Islamic Republic and principlist political figures have simultaneously criticized the Saudi government's actions in the Mina incident and its policies in Yemen and Syria. The Islamic Republic openly supports Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria and is accused of providing military support to the Houthi rebels in Yemen. In contrast, Saudi Arabia supports opposition and rebel groups in Syria and backs the government of Mansour Hadi, who has been ousted from the capital of Yemen by the Houthis.